As an disclosure relevant to a conventional electronic component, a multilayer electronic component disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-286125, is known. This multilayer electronic component includes a laminate and a coil. The laminate is formed by laminating a plurality of ferrite sheets. The coil includes a plurality of coil conductor patterns that are connected via through-holes so as to wind helically in the direction of lamination.
Incidentally, to achieve, for example, a low direct-current resistance in the coil, the multilayer electronic component disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-286125 is required to have wider or thicker coil conductor patterns, but in such a case, it is difficult to achieve a large inductance value. More specifically, in the case of a helical coil, the density of magnetic flux in the coil is high. In this case, magnetic flux that does not flow through the coil passes through the surfaces of the coil conductor patterns. Because a high-frequency signal flows through the coil, the direction of magnetic flux generated by the coil varies cyclically. In the case where the direction of magnetic flux that passes through the coil conductor patterns varies cyclically, eddy currents are generated in the coil conductor patterns, so that Joule's heat is produced. As a result, an eddy-current loss occurs, leading to a reduced inductance value of the coil.